"True," said Mr. George.

"Then I don't see but that you might just as well make the rule for him
too, at once," said Rollo. "You may just as well make a rule that he
shall not talk himself, as to make one that cuts him off from having any
body to talk to."

"Only," replied Mr. George, "that to do the one comes within my
authority, while to do the other does not."

Here Rollo was silent a few minutes, and seemed to be musing on what Mr.
George had said. Presently he added,--

"Besides, uncle George, this is not put down among the rules and
regulations for the journey which you drew up. We all agreed to abide by
those rules, and this is not one of them."

"True," said Mr. George. "But those rules and regulations are of force
as a compact only between Mrs. Gray and me, as the heads respectively of
the two divisions of the party. They are not at all of the nature of a
compact between Mrs. Gray and her children, nor between you and me. Her
authority over her children in respect to every thing not referred to in
the compact, is left entirely untouched by them, and so is mine over
you."

"Well," said Rollo, drawing a long breath, "I have no objection at all
to the rule. Indeed, I should like some time every evening to write and
draw. I only wanted to see how you would defend your rule, in the
argument."

"And how do you think the argument stands?" asked Mr. George.

"I think it stands pretty strong," said Rollo.

Rollo further inquired of his uncle whether he and Josie could not talk
in their own room; but Mr. George said no. If boys were allowed to talk
together after they went to bed, he said, they were very apt to get into
a frolic, and disturb those who slept in the adjoining rooms.

"And besides," said Mr. George, "even if they do not get into a frolic,
they sometimes go on talking to a later hour than they imagine, and the
sound of their voices is heard like a constant murmuring through the
partitions, and disturbs every body that is near. So you must do all
your talking in the course of the day, and when eight o'clock comes, you
must bring your discourse to a close. You may sit up as long as you
please to read or write; but when you get tired of those employments,
you must go to bed and go to sleep."

The rule thus made was faithfully observed during the whole journey.

It was Monday morning when the party left Florence, and on Saturday
afternoon at three o'clock, the carriage drew up at the passport o